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Reed Canary Grass, Phalaris arundinacea, is a cool-season grass, flowering in late spring to early summer. It can be found in nearly every county in Illinois. This grass prefers wetter areas like wetlands, marshes, and wet prairies.
Identifying characteristics
Reed Canary Grass grows between 3 and 5 feet tall, and its leaves and stems have a gray-green hue. The leaves are about 3/4 inch broad and almost a foot long. The leaves have a tall, membranous ligule.
Reed Canary Grass has a narrow panicle inflorescence, but before it is mature and after is senesces, or dies, it can look like a spike. The inflorescence is densely packed with small, pointed spikelets. The spikelets often start green, sometimes with a pink hue, and then fade to an orange to straw color after blooming.
Management recommendations
Visit our invasive species webpages to get the latest management recommendations for this grass. Reed Canary Grass can be very difficult to eradicate due to its rhizomatous root system.
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Reed Canary Grass often grows in dense clumps due to its rhizomatous root system.
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This grass has a tall membranous ligule.
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When in bloom, you can tell the inflorescence is a panicle with short branches.
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After blooming, the panicle branches all hug the stem, making the inflorescence look like a spike. The spikelets change color, now an orange or straw-color.